Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-08-05

From the Chicago Herald.
Miss Laura Hought falling has for.
some days been suffering with . pecu.
liar affection 81 the brain, which has
SO far bafiied the best medical skill.
The prominence 81 the young Ia dy in
North Side society, her great beauty,
rare social qualities, and instructive
refinement make the case q peculiarly
sad one. A few mornings ago Miss
Houghtaling, who had been suffering
rom q severe headache for several
days, was aroused BY her sisters
coming into the room. .i
Why, said she as she looked up,
/ syour face seems familiar to me,
Where have Il met your .az z
The sister replied in q jocular man
ner, thinking that the words were only
uttered in fun. Further questioning,
however, soon dispelled this illusion,
and it was ascertained that Miss
Houghtaling had completely lost her
memory for faces. When she retired
the night before she was in perfect
health, with the exception Of q head
ache, and was apparently in the best
OF spirits. It was at first thought
that the loss of memory was but mo.
| mentAry, and that after she became
thoroughly aroused it would disap-
pear. Such was not the case, howev-
er, and the only person in the family
whom she has been able to recognize
is her mother. At present Miss Hough-
falling is in excellent health, aud with
the exception Of her inability to recog.
| nize any OF her former friends is the
same as ever. The other day one OF
her school friends called upon her at
the house. When she went into the
parlor to receive her she said:
teThey tell me that I know you;
that we were sohoolmaJes, but have
| not the slightest recollections Of ever
having met you before"
Miss Houghtaling is engaged to be
married to q young Chicasoan, but
has no recollection OF her afianced or
the fact that the engagement exists.
One OF the most pathetic incidents
in the sad affair occurred few days
| ago, when she went to the closet which
contained her dresses. A married sis.
ter OF hers had recently died, and she
was in deep mourning.
! "Whose dresses are these?" said
! she. They are very pretty, but why
are they all black?' "Then, taking
! one of her hats from g. hook, she con.
tinued: "Why is all this Grape ON the
hat?"
The dresses and hats were her own,
but she not only had forgotten theiF
! existence, but her memory OF her dead
| sister had entirely gone. Her mind at
present is a perfect blank as far
as the past is concerned. She feels
neither grief nor Joy in the past: she
lives entirely in the present and in an.
ticipation OF the future. ALI efforts
to restore her memory have so far
been entirely futile.
The strangest part OF the affair is
! that the memory as concerns faces
only seems to be affected. The abili.
| ty to read and write still exists, and
also recollection OF places and dates.
No other portion OF the mind is in the
slightest degree affected, and Miss
Houghtaling remembers everything
that has happened since the attack.
She appreciates the condition into
which she has fallen, but believes that
her old memory will soon return.
Physicians say that the fact that she
recognizes her mother is a favorable
sign, and leads them to believe that
the functions OF memory are suspend.
ed only temporarily, Miss Houghtal-
ing is little over 20 years of age, and
was very popular in society circles
last winter.